In the weeks following the Sony e-mail hacks, which made public thousands of privately circulated messages relating to the studio and its practices, it was revealed that Charlize Theron was to be paid substantially less to reprise her role in this film than her returning co-star, Chris Hemsworth. Theron, herself a proven box-office draw, refused to sign on to the film unless Universal agreed to pay her the same salary as Hemsworth. The studio accepted her terms, and both Theron and Hemsworth were paid just over $10 million each for the film.
Jessica Chastain was contractually obligated to appear in this film due to starring in a previous movie, also distributed by Universal, Crimson Peak (2015).
Liam Neeson is the narrator.
Universal Pictures originally planned this film as a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), but then dropped Kristen Stewart from the film. It was speculated that this was because of her widely reported affair with the previous film's director, Rupert Sanders. However, Universal's statement in August of 2012 emphatically denied that Stewart had been dropped from the film because of any indiscretion, and that the studio was exploring all options: it was eventually decided that this film would instead be a prequel about the Huntsman rather than Snow White.
Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain reportedly based their Scottish accents on that of Mel Gibson in Braveheart (1995).